'Deep Throat' director Gerard Damiano passes away

Damiano, known for his 1970s pornographic film 'Deep Throat', was a former hairdresser and occasional actor.

He passed away in hospital after suffering a stroke last month.

"He was a film-maker and an artist and we thought of him as such," the BBC quoted his son Gerard Damiano Jr as saying.

"Even though we weren't allowed to see his movies, we knew he was a moviemaker and we were proud of that," he said.

'Deep Throat', which was the first "porno" widely seen in cinemas, was made in 1972 for just 25,000 pounds, but it made an estimated profit of 382million pounds.

The film, which was shot in just six days, became notorious for its graphic sex scenes, and its star, the late Linda Lovelace, later claimed that she had been forced to appear in the film by her husband and manager.

The movie was re-released in US cinemas three years ago to coincide with a documentary about the film, entitled Inside Deep Throat.

"My father never dreamed that it would get that kind of attention," Damiano Jr said.

But even though the movie was a huge success, it was not the late director's favourite revealed his son.

"He was fond of it for what it was," he said.

"But in terms of film-making he would never call it a great film," he added.

Damiano's other credits include Forbidden Bodies, Future Sodom and his final work, Naked Goddess 2.